Upon Your Waking Hours
by rgs38
Summary: What's keeping the team up at night? A series of short, somewhat interconnected one-shots set during season 5 but no major spoilers. All team members (except Raf and Leah) featured.
1. Chapter 1

Upon Your Waking Hours-Chapter 1

_So this is a series of one-shots that were inspired by my loyal reader, Kiwihunch! I mentioned in one of my other recent one-shots, "A Quick Jog," that the SRU doesn't really seem to sleep and that kind of expanded to this. So this one is going to be a series of non-related (but kind of interrelated if things work out the way I think they will) one-shots about the different members of the team. My time-line is a little messed up because I'm not going to include Raf or Leah and I guess it still puts me somewhere in Season 5. So, still don't own Flashpoint, still appreciate reviews._

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"No, Spike." Ed said firmly as he closed his locker only to find Spike's twisted face starting at him pleadingly.

"Please guys..." He begged in a whiney tone. "We haven't been for drinks in weeks, just a round, I'll even buy!" Spike looked around the locker room and found no sympathy from his friends and team mates. "Samtastic?" Sam looked up from the buttons on his shirt and shook his head.

"Sorry, buddy. Jules and I are going out for dinner so count both of us out. Raincheck?" Sam asked sincerely. He did enjoy spending time with Spike but this was going to be the first weekend that the team would have off in a long time and they were going to take advantage of it and have a nice date.

"Oh, women. Who needs 'em? Right Boss?" Spike said as he jumped over a bench and landed next to Greg. "Come on, we don't have to go to a bar," He offered, "there's this great Italian place off fourth street..."

"Thank you, Spike but I'm gonna have to pass tonight. I promised Dean that it would be our night to hang out and do whatever he wanted. I think we're going to to movies." Greg answered with a slight smile. He felt bad for Spike but was really looking forward to spending some relaxing time with his son. "Another time, I promise buddy."

"It's okay, I get it. You guys with your busy and exciting lives...and baby duty." Spike shot a glance over at Ed.

"Hey, baby duty is exciting..." Ed said half-heartedly. "And Sophie deserves the night off." He added as the rest of the guys laughed a bit. "Whatever, you guys have a good weekend. alright?" Ed said with a smile as he headed for the door of the locker room. Some derivation of 'have a good weekend' was the response of everyone on the team as they parted ways.

* * *

Ed was roused from a deep sleep by the sound of soft cries. He laid still for a moment, hoping that he was imagining it, hoping that Izzy would calm down and go back to sleep, hoping that he wouldn't have to get up from his warm bed on this cold night. He laid there hoping for just one more breath before rolling out of bed and softly making his way to Izzy's room. He turned on the dim lamp next to the door and let his eyes adjust to the light before stepping forward and finding Izzy rolling in her crib crying at the top of her lungs.

"Oh, Izzy...Izzy...Izzy." Ed said softly as he picked her up and held her to his shoulder. "Shhh...what's wrong princess?" He continued to speak in soft tones and he walked around the room rhythmically. It was midnight when he got up and it was already 12:15 and Izzy was still crying hard. "What's wrong, sweetie?" Ed said a bit more seriously as he set his daughter down on the changing table and checked her diaper. It was dry; she also wasn't hungry, didn't need to be burped, and her crib and room was warm enough.

"You feeling okay, Iz?" Ed asked as he looked at her flushed face and tried to figure out if she was feeling warm. He couldn't tell if she was just worked up from crying or running a fever but he didn't want to open the door and let Izzy's crying wake Sophie. "Oh we're not gonna wake Mommy up right now, see it's her night off so it's just you and Daddy."

Ed continued to hold Izzy and walk with her, whispering soothing words to her for almost an hour. They alternated walking in circles around the small, pink, room and rocking in the old wooden chair that had once sat in the same room, only painted blue almost sixteen years ago when Clark was an infant. It happened slowly but finally Izzy calmed down and fell asleep. Ed sat absolutely still for a few minutes, remembering the long nights in which he would rock Clark to sleep only to have him wake back up once Ed impatiently moved. Once he was sure that Izzy was in a deep enough sleep he got up from the rocking chair, holding Izzy on the length of his forearm, her head in his hand as he gently lowered her into her crib. He stood stock still again, making sure that she was actually asleep before tip-toeing to the door and closing it behind him without a sound.

He made his way back to bed and had just gotten back under his heavy blankets before he heard his phone vibrating and let out a quiet groan. He grabbed the phone before the vibration could wake Sophie and glance at the caller ID; surprised and a bit worried when he read the name. He rolled, again, out of bed and closed his bedroom door before putting the phone to his ear and whispering as he walked past Izzy and Clark's rooms.

"Hey, what's up?"

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_I know, a cliffhanger, but you won't have to wait too long for the answer. I have the next chapter written but before I post that I need to finish chapter 3 and I'm struggling. Don't worry, I'm working on it. Let me know what you think in the mean time though. :)_


	2. Chapter 2

Upon Your Waking Hours- Chapter 2

_Fooled some of you and quite proud of myself. Not who you expect in this chapter. :)_

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He hated the insomnia. The doctors had warned him when he started this new medication that, until his body got used to it, he would probably not be able to sleep well. He usually wouldn't have minded. A few extra hours in the day were nice for anyone but not when there was so much on his mind. Not when he was trapped, no one to talk to, nothing to abate the constant cycle of thoughts that wound't leave him alone.

Work kept his mind off things a little. It wasn't nearly as stimulating and demanding at being at the SRU; he was barely in the field unless he was on a team serving a warrant and even then all he got to do was wait for the SRU team to apprehend the subject and get to read them their rights. His mind wasn't even stimulated by the Guns and Gangs unit, he spent the first few months trying to see the situation from multiple perspectives, trying to connect and understand, but after a while he just became jaded like all the other officers in his unit and all he saw day after day was kids (they really were kids, kids that reminded him too much of his own children) ruining their lives with drugs or killing each other with weapons they could barely wield.

His family, his girls and Shelly, kept his mind off things a little bit better. There was nothing he loved more than playing princess or tea party or doing fractions or reading a Dr. Seuss book now-a-days. Anything to spend time with his girls, anything to make him smile a whole smile. one that reached his eyes, even if it did involved dressing up and eating imaginary biscuits over the plastic table, sitting on the plastic chairs that he was afraid he would one day break.

He was afraid overall that he would break. He was so scared of one day just...losing it. Losing the ability to think clearly, to rationalize; losing control of his body...even more than he already had; losing all the things that were important to him, his family and friends and job and life. He was so afraid of leaving his family in debt. Shelly had picked up a part time job since they learned of his diagnosis, since the medical bills started to pile in and they needed to start taking money from the carefully planned savings account that they had started ten years ago. He made a vow that they would not dip into the college savings that they had started to put away for the girls but he was ever more aware at how they were putting less and less money into them each month. And it scared the hell out of him.

Because, it wasn't a matter of if he would die young, leave them in debt and in pain, it was a matter of when. It was a matter of how much longer it took before his hand wouldn't stop shaking, when the dosage on the medication would need to be raised, when he would no longer be allowed to carry a gun and put exclusively on a desk, when he wasn't able to work a desk anymore. When he wasn't able to pour his own coffee because of the shaking in his hands, when he wouldn't be able to braid his girl's hair or when he wouldn't be able to feed himself. When he wouldn't be able to bathe, eat, or breathe on his own, because it would come to that one day. And one day, Shelly would be standing over a grave, three girls, probably still young, clinging to her as she tried to move on with life and support the family that he had failed, that he couldn't protect.

These were the thoughts that made the insomnia so much more painful. At some point, he wasn't sure if it was the medication keeping him up or the thoughts that he couldn't escape, the reality that he couldn't escape. What was reality these days though? He knew that he was probably assuming the worst case here, that he'd have time to work through these concerns and that he still had years to worry about the progression of the Parkinson's; the doctor's prognosis was fairly good apparently but he still couldn't' stop himself from jumping to these horrible conclusions.

He hated feeling so worthless, so helpless to stop this disease which had snuck up on his body and so helpless to assuage Shelly's fears. She put up a great front but there were moments in which he could sense her weakness. It came when Claire, such a clever girl, asked why his hand kept shaking or offered him a blanket because he shivered, when Lilly asked why Daddy had so many vitamins to take every day and why they didn't see Uncle Ed and Uncle Spike and the rest of the team as much as they used to. They were catching on but he couldn't tell them, couldn't let them feel the fear that Shelly and he felt, couldn't even begin to explain what was going to happen.

He got out of bed, tears in his eyes as he went downstairs to the kitchen, his phone in his hands. He couldn't seem to stop the tears now as he thought of all the ones that Claire and Lilly and Allie would shed once they told them how sick their Daddy, their superhero, was. He couldn't stop his racing mind, the images of the things that he would miss; first dates and proms and college graduations and weddings and grandkids and all the other accomplishments and cuts and scrapes and first loves and heartbreaks. Shelly and he had agreed long ago that he would teach them how to drive, he was more calm, his reflexes better...what would happen now? He felt renewed tears again as he resolved himself and dialed a familiar number. It wasn't until the second ring that he realized how late it was and how tearful he was but it was too late to hang up now.

"Hey, what's up?" A familiar voice answered him, almost soothing in the normalcy. The forced calm was evident in Ed's voice but there was also genuine concern.

"Ed, promise me that, when the time comes, you'll teach the girls how to drive." Wordy spoke quickly, his breathing hitching a bit between words. "I promised Shel a long time ago that I would teach them, she said I was calmer and that she couldn't do it but I don't know what state I'll be in and...and I just want to know that it's taken care of-"

"Wordy." Ed spoke with care but also with authority, needing to cut off his friends hysterical, panicked ranting.

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_Kinda in love with this chapter. I love Wordy and I love angst and as much as it hurts me that they wrote him off in such a tragic way, I love the angst that came from it. Can you tell? Let me know what you think, some more of our favorites coming in soon._


	3. Chapter 3

Upon Your Waking Hours-Chapter 3

_Thanks for the reads, reviews, favs, and follows everyone; they truly make my day!_

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"That was..."

"Awesome." Jules smiled at Sam's remark, easing into his grasp as he rolled closer to her. It's like he inherently knew that she was chilly, but then again she was always cold. Something about her small frame just made the cold permeate her body and it felt like it was impossible to get warm again...until...well when she met Sam he seemed to just give off warmth. It was in his smile, in his eyes, the warmth that he just exuded radiating off his skin. Jules almost found herself wondering if all the time in the desert had somehow made him store sunlight in his always tanned skin and his striking blond hair. She felt Sam shift in bed and then felt his hands on her shoulders.

"Sam..." She moaned as she felt him massaging her shoulders. He wasn't gentle, Sam definilty knew how she liked her massages. "Mmm, thank you." She whispered as Sam moved down her back, pressing deeply into her muscles, soothing them as he pushed on the points that he knew she always held pressure and stress in. His hands drifted over the scar tissue from her bullet wound years ago and lingered there for a moment.

It took a while for Jules to even allow Sam to see the scar and for the first few months that they were back together, if he'd even moved to touch it she would jump away. It was a slow progression, first she let him look at it and then just stroke it, a gentle caress. Now, finally, he was able to hold her, all of her, and it felt better than he could imagine. She hated to allow anyone to see her weak but when Sam held her it was like she was melting against his strong arms. She could finally let down that shield and allow herself to be vulnerable. It took a long time, a long time to let him in and a long time to allow herself to feel completely safe but now that she was there, it was wonderful.

It was also quite a process for him to let Jules in, though he didn't act like it. He put on the mask of the cocky sniper, the ex-solider, the cold and the hardened. But it wasn't his true face. He tried to put on a front, tried to set himself apart from the rest of the team and show his skills but it was all for Jules' benefit. All he ever wanted to do in the beginning was impress her. He wanted to do his job well, wanted to gain the trust of the team, but she was always on his mind. When she chose the team over him though, he was crushed. When they got back together, even though the circumstances were extreme and the secrets were stressful it was like his life was complete. And he started to slowly let her in. Told her about Matt and his time in the military when the nightmares forced his confession. Told her about his childhood and it's...unpleasantness when Natalie let slip about their sister. Slowly, Jules was beginning to now Sam as a whole person, not just the heartless solider that he had come into her life as.

But now, the secrets were over. They were allowed to be together. Granted, it always felt kind of odd to Sam that they had to get explicit permission from the Commander and Chief in order to maintain their relationship and their careers but that faith in their ability to separate their emotions from their professionalism was what made both of their lives complete.

"It's funny…" Jules trailed off as Sam worked his thumbs into a particularly sore spot just below her shoulder.

"What is?" He asked curiously as he leaned his head over her shoulder.

"Well, I always imagined having a wedding and kids and things like that when I was young but I guess I forgot about it when I got the job. I'm so glad I get to start this family with you Sam." She smiled as a hand automatically drifted towards her stomach. His hand followed and his fingers rested between hers.

"I know, me either." Sam said softly. "I always had girlfriends and Natalie always said that I had to have at least one baby so that one day her kids would have cousins but…I never thought it would really happen." Jules rolled so they were looking at each other. "Jules, I can't believe we're having a baby." He said seriously, true disbelief in his eye. "I don't know if I'm ready to be a dad." Sam was fluctuating between being overjoyed to be a father and being paralyzed by the fear.

"Sam," Jules said seriously as she stroked the side of her face. "You're going to be a great dad." She wasn't sure if Sam believed her or if he just didn't feel like fighting it but he nodded and smiled at her.

"What do you want to do now? We could go to sleep, I guess." He said with a smile, knowing that that was not going to Jules' preferred option. She smiled almost mischievously.

"Wel…I do really want to put that second coat of paint down in the nursery and if we get it done tonight then tomorrow we can start with the molding…" Sam groaned and rolled his eyes. He never thought that it would be his girlfriend persuading him to do the construction projects, well not until he met Jules.

"But we don't have nearly enough paint to do the room, we probably don't even have enough to do one wall." He tried to reason with her but she was already out of bed and putting on clothes.

"Ah, but I know the best 24-hour hardware shop…"

"Of course you do." Sam said with playful reluctance as he pulled the covers over himself. "You have fun-"

"Oh no you don't." Jules pulled the blankets off him with a swift jerk and left him shivering on the bed. "Come on, I need you to carry a can."

"Carry? Why don't we just drive?" Sam asked as he pulled on sweatpants.

"Oh, the walk's not bad, and it's invigorating!" She said with a smile as she threw one of his sneakers at him.

"Invigorating…" Sam repeated with a childish tone as Jules threw a sweatshirt in his direction.

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_Don't like this chapter as much as some of the others but I've never been great at writing Sam and Jules, especially not together, especially without extreme angst. Let me know what you're thinking about this._


	4. Chapter 4

Upon Your Waking Hours-Chapter 4

_Thanks again for reads, reviews, favs, and follows. It really makes my day when people take a second to give me feedback about what they like and don't like._

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He decided to call it an early night, after all, there wasn't really anything else to do. Sure, he could have gone out, but with who? Alone? It wasn't the worst option and he'd done it in the past but not tonight. So he went back to his small apartment, cooked a good meal for himself and read a little bit of his most recent biography. He used to read exclusively fantasy, science fiction, any fiction really but something changed. The make-believe stories were doing him no good, he couldn't lose himself in the elaborate backdrop of a better world, not when this world did nothing but continue to kick him when he was down. He tried to be upbeat, tried to be the same old Spike that he always was before his life started crumbling…

He sighed as he glanced at the clock, it was only 10 PM but he was exhausted. Sleep had been alluding him lately and the week had been a tiring one so, he rationalized, he should be able to fall asleep quickly and avoid the tossing and turning that had met him recently. He was wrong, of course. He went through the motions of getting comfortable, adjusting the blankets, turning from one side to the other, to his stomach and back, tried closing his eyes, tried muscle relaxation and deep breathing. He smiled to himself as he considered counting sheep but quickly grew frustrated and threw the blankets from his body. He knew that the last thing he needed was a backlit screen but he had to keep his mind occupied. He fished out the controller and a random video game before sitting down and turning on his headset. He scanned his list of friends that he hoped would be online but was disappointed, it was a Friday night and some people had lives. He smiled slightly when he saw one name and wandered towards his position in the fictional world, occasionally shooting at the aliens that tried to attack him.

"Hey, Clark." Spike spoke into his headset as he neared Ed's son's animated intergalactic soldier.

"Hey, Spike. What's up?" Clark asked as he shot at an alien that was coming up behind Spike.

"Not much, couldn't sleep." Spike said as he threw a plasma grenade at an oncoming spaceship.

"Dude, it's like 11." Clark said with a bit of shock.

"Yeah, yeah well not all of us can have the energy of a seventeen year old!" Spike found himself smiling as he and Clark chatted for another few minutes, casually taking out aliens as they spoke. "Want to level up and do a mission together?" Spike asked.

"Yeah." He responded, glad to have Spike playing on his team again. In the past few months Spike had been online a lot at the same time as Clark and Dean and he was a pro. Clark wasn't sure if it was the fact that he was on the actual shooting range multiple times a week, the fact that he was the tech guy on the team, or the fact that Spike was just kinda nerdy but somehow that combination made him pretty much unbeatable, Dean and Clark had learned that the hard way.

"You flank me on the left and provide cover fire while I clear the eastern hallway. Watch the windows." Spike spoke efficiently as Clark struggled to keep up with him. Clark smiled as Spike shot a canister of flammable liquid and their controllers shook with the force of the explosion. Spike's character on screen froze suddenly, his gun lowered as more aliens began attacking from both sides.

"Spike?" Clark spoke into his headset with a slight hint of panic as he reloaded and started picking off enemy aliens for him and Spike. "Spike, what's wrong?" Clark asked again. He saw the frozen avatar on screen flinching from bullets hitting him, his health quickly disappearing. What Clark couldn't see was that Spike was in a very similar state sitting on his living room couch. Spike heard Clark speaking in his ear, heard him asking what was wrong, but couldn't tear his face from the screen, couldn't get the images to stop replaying in his head of another explosion he'd seen, another body that flailed and fallen on the cold ground…"Spike!" Clark yelled now, louder than he probably should but it finally roused him as his eyes focused in just enough time to see his avatar fall and begin the process of respawning.

"Ah, sorry Clark." Spike apologized as he saw Clark's avatar fall to the ground in a spattering of blood.

"It's fine," Clark said quickly, "you okay?" He asked with concern. Spike thought about what to say, wanting to say something, needing to tell someone and deciding that Clark was mature enough.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I wasn't expecting the explosion and…well it's exactly four years since…well since we lost Lou." Spike felt a weight lift from his chest as he finally said the words that had been trying to fight free all day. There was a brief silence as Clark paused the game and spoke sincerely.

"I'm really sorry, Spike…" He said, not quite sure what else to say. "You want to call it quits for tonight?" Spike thought about the question before shaking his head and then verbalizing his response.

"I'll get you through to the next checkpoint and then I'll log off, that okay?" Spike asked, not wanting to leave Clark to fail the mission, not really wanting to leave himself either, sleep definitely would not come now.

"Yeah, that's great if you're sure." Clark responded, trying to figure out what to say to assuage his friend's pain. Clark, Dean, and Spike had all grown close, especially over the last year when they were placed into a chemistry class and were both helplessly lost. Greg suggested that they ask Spike to tutor them and, though at first hesitant, they both grew to talk to and confide in Spike like an older brother.

"Watch to your right, Spike." Clark said as they moved nearer to the end of the level and there was a quiet knock on Clark's door. "Come in." He said without even looking away from the screen.

"Clark?" He heard his father's voice and quickly glanced in his direction, surprised to see him fully dressed and with his cell phone held to his ear. Clark turned back to the game and shot an alien that was moving to jump on him.

"Hang on Spike." He said before pausing the game and removing one of the headphones from his ear. Ed's face grew confused as he looked at the screen.

"You're playing with Spike?" He asked curiously as Clark nodded. "Okay…" He was a bit surprised but continued. "I know I promised you and mom the night free but I need to go out and I need you to watch Izzy." Ed saw Clark's face fall and felt badly but he was needed and he couldn't leave Wordy hanging. "But, I count this as you babysitting for me, so," He stepped into Clark's room and put thirty dollars on his desk. Clark sighed slightly before nodding.

"Thanks, dad." Ed nodded towards him as he made his way over dirty laundry to the door.

"Don't let your mother wake up, you're babysitting so she's not to lift a finger." Ed cautioned, as Clark nodded. He was about to turn back to the game before suddenly turning again.

"Wait, dad." He said quickly before making sure the microphone on his headset wasn't on. "Spike…" He started but wasn't really sure what to say.

"What about Spike?" Ed asked with some concern.

"Well, he seems really down tonight. He told me that it's four years to the day that you guys…lost Lou…and, I think he's kind of upset. Said he can't sleep and kinda froze in the middle of the game when there was an explosion…"

"Dammit." Ed said under his breath, of course that's why Spike was pushing so much for drinks, of course that's why he had bags under his eyes the last few days, of course everything was coming together, now, at midnight when Spike was alone and not able to sleep. Ed thought for a moment before looking at Clark. "You can talk to him through that thing, right?" Clark nodded and turned the microphone on before handing it to his father.

"Spike?" He said awkwardly.

"Ed?" Spike was surprised to hear his Team Leader's voice in his ear, almost feeling like he was at work.

"I'm gonna take you up on your offer, buddy."

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_One or two chapters left, we'll see. Let me know what you think. This chapter got a little more angsty than I meant and was actually a little less Spike than I meant but I still love it. :) Oh, and I know my Americanisms are showing the the dollars but you're all creative people so pretend that I used more legitimate Canadian money._


	5. Chapter 5

Upon Your Waking Hours-Chapter 5

_So let me say, I'm not from Canada and have, unfortunately, never been to a Timmies so I'm not sure if they're actually 24 Hour or if some in the cities are or if I'm really just making this whole thing up but suspend disbelief if you must here and just pretend with me. :) Also, kind of disappointed that when I post a new chapter this story isn't getting bumped up at all so I feel like a lot of people aren't seeing it...it's kind of bummed me out so I'd appreciate it even more if you people who are finding this leave me reviews. Enjoy!_

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Ed walked towards the Timmies on the corner of the block with purpose. He had to calm Wordy and assure him that, physically, he would be okay for a while yet based on what the doctors were saying and he had to calm Spike and see where he was at mentally on the anniversary of his best friend's tragic death. It didn't help that he had to somehow juggle those tasks at the same time with both men being modest and, knowing that when they saw each other they would instantly back down from their own problems and try to focus on each other. Ed suddenly stopped and shook his head. _What am I doing?_ He asked himself as he fished is phone out of his pocket before shooting off a quick text message.

_"Your movie over yet?"_ He knew that if he didn't get an answer within a few minutes he was out of luck on that front but his fears were quickly assuaged when his phone buzzed in his hands.

_"Yeah, walking back home. What's up?"_ Ed quickly sent which Timmies he was heading to before walking into the brightly lit coffee shop and getting himself a strong coffee. He figured that he wasn't getting back to bed anytime soon and might as well be awake.

"Hey, Wordy." Ed sat down at the table with him and saw that he was also drinking coffee. He was a bit concerned to see the dark bags under Wordy's eyes but he was at least smiling a bit, definitely calmed since he had called Ed.

"Hey, Ed." He said after taking a long sip of coffee. "This really wasn't necessary to meet up, I worked myself up and I just needed someone to tell me I was over thinking things, I'm sorry I dragged you out so late." He was sincerely apologetic and even a bit embarrassed at his late night phone call.

"Wordy, seriously, forget about it." Ed said with a smile but an unarguable tone behind his words. He could tell that Wordy was still feeling badly but he apparently also felt like it was a moot point to argue. He took a sip of his coffee as Ed took a slight breath. "I want to talk to you about this, buddy. I want to be there for you, always." Wordy nodded, not sure what to say. Ed and Wordy had always operated under a minimally emotional relationship; they were always there for each other, always open to talking but they both knew where the comfort line was…well before all of this happened to Wordy and things were normal. Now, there were working on establishing the new normal.

"Thanks Eddie, I appreciate that." Wordy said with a slight nod.

"So talk to me, what brought onto the thing about teaching the girls to drive?" Ed asked, trying to prompt the conversation. He knew that Spike would probably be there in a few minutes and he hoped that Greg would be also because, as much as he could try, he couldn't support both of them at the same time and he knew that Greg could probably do a better job talking to Spike about what was going on in his head right now. Wordy began to speak, hesitantly at first but his pace picked up as he grew a bit overwhelmed with the different thoughts. Ed was glad that a natural pause in the conversation came just as the door opened and Spike and Greg walked in. "Hey," Ed waved at them quickly, not that they wouldn't find them in the empty coffee shop. He was more interested in giving Wordy a moment to collect himself and take a sip of coffee before greeting the other two men.

"Fancy meeting you here!" Spike said with a smile as he and Wordy shook hands followed quickly by Greg and Wordy.

"Yeah, you guys too. What a coincidence that it's what, 1 AM and we all end up in a random Timmies?" He smiled at Ed, not sure what he was playing at.

"Well, you and me sure weren't asleep," he nodded towards Wordy before continuing. "And when I walk into Clark's room to tell him to watch Izzy guess who he's killing zombies with?"

"Aliens, they were aliens that were trying to crumble the intergalactic alliance of the outlying star systems." Spike corrected nonchalantly as the other three men stared at him briefly before looking back to Ed.

"Okay, they were killing aliens together and he wanted everyone to go out for drinks so badly earlier I figured that this was close enough." Ed motioned towards his coffee before the others laughed. "And…" He took a breath and found a sad smile on his face "and we shoulda done something as a team today to honor Lou." Spike's face quickly grew pale as Greg shook his head wondering how he could forget. Wordy placed a hand on Spike's shoulder and squeezed gently, a sign of support.

"I'm sorry, Spike." Greg said softly, shaking his head again, frustrated with himself. "This week has been so hectic that I lost track of what day was what. It's my fault, I should have said something today, I should have checked up on you Spike."

"No, boss," Spike quickly interjected, now blushing. "It's fine, I'm fine. I was just having a little trouble sleeping tonight, really." He spoke quickly before looking at the others. "And it's not like I'm the only one up!" He added with a bit of humor.

"Yeah, boss, it's killing me, why were you walking from the movies?" Ed asked curiously, knowing that Spike was embarrassed and emotional and knowing that he was practically begging for the conversation to change, even if only briefly. Greg rolled his eyes as Spike jumped in quickly with a smile.

"Dean ditched him." They had obviously talked outside the coffee shop. Ed and Wordy smiled.

"He didn't ditch me." Greg corrected. "We went out for pizza and then to the movies but when we were leaving some of his friends were going to see that new superhero movie. The girl that he has a little crush on was with them and I could tell that he wanted to seem cool and having his dad around wasn't exactly helping so I gave him the keys and some money and was walking home when I met up with this one." He nudged Spike as they settled down and chatted, just hanging out and being together. That was really what they all needed, Ed thought, just to be reminded that they were never alone, would always be part of a family.

"Hey…" Spike was looking outside onto the darkened sidewalk as he got the other's attention. "Is that Sam and Jules?" He asked, perplexed. The two figures on the street also seemed to have noticed them and turned and entered the coffee shop.

"Hey, you guys having a party without us?" Sam asked jokingly as they pulled a few more chairs up to the table.

"I don't know, Sam," Wordy said as he reached to shake Sam's hand but was met with a can of paint. "It looks like you guys are the ones that are really going to have a party with some…" he looked at the can and his face grew confused as he read the name of the paint. Spike got curious when Wordy didn't finish the sentence and leaned closer.

"What are you guys doing with 'Froggy Green' paint?" He asked as he grabbed the second can from Sam's hand and held the splotch of paint on the top to the light.

"You know," Sam said with the slightest blush. "It's a good neutral color for guys and girls…" The rest of the team looked perplexed again but only for an instant until Jules jumped in.

"We're repainting the guest room." She said as she nudged Sam. "You probably should have started with that." She gave him a meaningful look as he shrugged and she continued. "I mean with the rate Nat hangs around and if my brothers ever follow through and actually come for a visit, we figured it was about the time to actually finish up the room." Everyone nodded as Sam went and got himself a coffee and Jules a hot chocolate, apparently she was still hopeful about getting some sleep at some point.

"So Spike, I guess you got your wish." Sam said as he sat down. "You got everyone out for drinks and you get bonus points for getting Wordy." Wordy smiled and nodded in Spike's direction. "I like being bonus points."

"Yeah…this is better than I could have imagined guys." Spike said as he leaned back. "Even when you try to live your lives I just bring everyone together, I apparently have the affect of being the unifier!" Ed rolled his eyes as everyone else laughed but then he raised his and raised his styrofoam cup.

"To sleepless nights." Ed said with an almost solum tone.

"Sleepless nights and great friends." Wordy added, raising his own cup.

"And many more." Spike added with a smile as the rest of the team chuckled and joined in.

* * *

_And that's it for this one. I meant for this chapter to be more Greg focused but it turned in to team focus but I guess it's appropriate; I mean what keeps Greg up if it isn't the team? Glad people liked this. I'm going to try to get one more story done before I go back to school next weekend because then you're not going to see me for a semester :( Let me know what you think of this one and keep an eye out for my new story sometime soon! Thanks again for the all the reads and reviews!_


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